FAQs

What type of organization is the RVSA?

The Rahway Valley Sewerage Authority (RVSA) is comprised of a trunk sewer collection system and a wastewater treatment facility servicing more than 250,000 residents and 3,500 industrial and commercial customers in Central New Jersey. (See About RVSA)

How was the RVSA established?

The RVSA was organized in 1928 as the "Rahway Valley Joint Meeting." The municipalities of Springfield, Kenilworth, Roselle Park, Cranford, Westfield, Garwood, Clark, Rahway, and Woodbridge joined together to create a treatment plant and a trunk sewer system that would collect and treat wastewater. In 1951, the original nine member municipalities entered into a new agreement, forming the Rahway Valley Sewerage Authority. This agreement was revised in 1995. The Service Agreement of 1995 details the rights of the towns to use the system and allocates the responsibilities of the cost of operating, maintaining, repairing, and improving the facilities to each of the customers. To obtain a copy of the Service Agreement, please contact Joanne Grimes at (732) 388-0868 x 217.

How is the RVSA governed?

The RVSA is governed by a Board of Commissioners, which consists of one representative from each member municipality. Appointments are made by each municipalities' governing body. Each commissioner serves a staggered five-year term, and the chairmanship and vice-chairmanship of the RVSA rotate annually.

What is "wastewater"?

Wastewater is used water and waste from our homes and workplaces, and is also known as "sewage". It is 99.9 percent water. The other 0.1 percent consists of materials such as organic matter (human waste and food scraps), oil and grease, debris and traces of heavy metals.

Why is wastewater management important?

Wastewater management is important because it allows purified water to be re-used every day. It also protects our water supply from becoming contaminated.

How does the RVSA get wastewater to the plant?

Wastewater from the RVSA's member and customer municipalities travels through the various municipal sewer systems, with the help of gravity and pumping stations, into the RVSA's main trunk sewer, which then flows to the treatment facility.

How much wastewater is treated at the plant?

On average, the RVSA treats 30 million-gallons per day (MGD) of wastewater at the facility. Currently, the plant can accommodate a maximum peak flow of approximately 105 MGD.

What happens after wastewater is treated?

The wastewater which has gone through the treatment process is released into the Arthur Kill, and the waste by-products that remain are sent to the sludge handling and processing facilities. RVSA operates three gravity thickener tanks, three anaerobic digestion tanks, four sludge storage tanks, and a sludge dewatering facility utilizing three sludge dewatering centrifuges. The RVSA also owns and at times operates a sludge dryer which is capable of drying sludge to 98% solids.

How are "user charges" determined?

The member municipalities are responsible for the annual costs of maintenance, ordinary repairs and operation of all units of the sewage collection and treatment system incurred by the Sewerage Authority, as well as interest and amortization on capital improvements. "User charges" are determined through a formula based on use of the system. Click here for a detailed explanation of the process for allocating costs, abstracted from the 1951 and 1995 Agreements.

How are industrial users monitored and charged?

Indirect User Discharge Permit Fees (including Industrial Users) are calculated based on the volume and the characteristics of the wastewater discharged. Click here for a detailed explanation.

Who do I contact if I have a problem or question about my sewer connection?

In the RVSA service area, most lateral connections are made into the sanitary sewer system owned and operated by the local municipality; therefore, your first point of contact should be your municipality.